Anthony Duclair with his beard and locs (L) and him clean-shaven (R) (Photo Credits: ESPN and @NYIslanders/X).
I remember being in New York Islanders winger Anthony Duclair’s shoes, knowing that I had to alter my appearance so I wouldn’t upset white people who wanted me and others to assimilate to their rules regarding Respectability Politics.
During my senior year of college, I had cornrows. I knew I was about to graduate and enter a system that prefers people to have a clean-cut appearance. I cut my hair.
I knew the game was rigged. However, I wanted to find a job like Duclair did.
After signing a free-agent deal with the New York Islanders, he posted a photo of his recently cut locs on Instagram.
Some folks said Duclair, a former All-Star, was forced to succumb to archaic and outdated rules created by Islanders general manager and president of hockey operations Lou Lamoriello’s team policy regarding hairstyles.
Others say Duclair knew the rules before signing with the team, citing instances of players who had to alter their looks to be on the team.
According to TSN’s Gord Miller, “Lou’s Rules” consists of:
- No facial hair (except the in playoffs)
- No long hair (past the collar)
- No jewelry (necklaces/earrings)
Also, Lamoriello’s hockey credentials are as official as it gets.
He’s won Stanley Cups, guided franchises into relevancy and is a member of the Pro Hockey and United States Halls of Fame. Lamoriello was reportedly really tight with former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, whose franchise continues to institute his no-facial-hair policy for players.
Here’s where the lines become blurred regarding whether athletes are viewed as employees who work for a company—or maybe a franchise—like many of us.
I don’t think Duclair’s or any other player’s hairstyle ought to be a barrier to employment.
In fact, our government feels the same way.
In 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the CROWN Act, Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.
The bill came to fruition to stop employers from discriminating against their employees’ hairstyles.
Before the vote, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) said in part: “No more to Black people being made to feel like we have cut our locs just to get a job. This is the last time we say no more to Black people being made to feel like we have to straighten our hair to be deemed professional.”
Meanwhile, all 189 Republican House members, the preferred political party of hockey fans,
voted “Nay” on the bill, including Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY), whose district represents a large swath of Long Island where the Islanders play.
Three years prior, in 2019, the New York State Senate passed its own version of the CROWN ACT, saying the bill:
Prohibits race discrimination based on natural hair or hairstyles; defines “race” for certain specific purposes to include, but not be limited to, ancestry, color, ethnic group identification, and ethnic background, and to include traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles; and defines “protective hairstyles” to include, but not be limited to, such hairstyles as braids, locks, and twists.
Team rules prohibiting facial hair, longer hairstyles and other accessories are, unfortunately, the norm.
Ahead of the 2006-07 season, the Bulls signed free agent center Ben Wallace, who was the reigning Defensive Player of the Year when he left the Pistons, where he won an NBA Championship. The Bulls had a team policy banning headbands.
Wallace, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, was known throughout his career for sporting cornrows or an afro with a headband. He knew when he signed with the Bulls that the team had specific policies. The Bulls suspended him for one game for wearing a headband.
Wallace was eventually allowed to wear one.
I reached out to the Blackhawks, who told me that the team does not have a team policy regarding hairstyles and hair length. After all, former Blackhawks Tony Amonte and Patrick Kane were known for their hair and play.
Black Girl Hockey Club board member Fatou Bau saw Duclair’s Instagram screenshot and told me she had a “visceral” reaction to seeing his cut locs.
She believes the 13-year veteran shouldn’t have been in a position to make such a decision.
“I had a very visceral reaction to seeing the photo of [Duclair’s] locs. And honestly, feel like he posted [the photo] for that exact reason to just show how ridiculous and antiquated and old-fashioned these rules are… And I really did not like it at all,” said Bau. “… Locs are a labor of love. He’s been growing this hair for years—they [were] beautiful. The fact that to sign with the team and to play for a team which he’s worked his life for, he has to cut his locs. Obviously, he knew the rules, but it doesn’t make it less antiquated. And to me, it’s very problematic because first of all, like I said, these rules are just super old fashioned and antiquated.”
A picture is worth a thousand words. Grateful that Anthony Duclair shared this. The visceral reactions are sparking important conversations and highlighting just how outdated and vile these hair rules are. I really hate this for The Duke. pic.twitter.com/0rHUln5EL0
— Fatou ♎️🇬🇳 (@FatouSadio) August 22, 2024
Remember when André 3000 told everyone that it’s a terrible idea to have preconceived notions about people based on how they look?
Three Stacks made his thoughts clear enough for everyone to understand—even Lou Lamoriello—when he rapped:
Now, question: is every n— with dreads for the cause? Naw
Is every n—wi th golds for the fall? Naw
So don’t get caught up in appearance…
Me and you, your mama and your cousin too—and Lou Lamoriello—should listen to more OutKast.
And relax the rules a little.
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